Issue for review and guidance

[dbmakhija]

"In some countries, television and radio programs are carefully censored for offensive language and behavior. In
other countries, there is little or no censorship."
In your view, to what extent should government or any other group be able to censor television or radio programs?
Explain, giving relevant reasons and/or examples to support your position.

The debate on censoring television and radio programs for offensive language and behavior by the government or regulatory body has always existed. This issue is a controversial one but it is in public interest that the television and radio programs undergo censorship for several reasons.

One reason for the censorship is a very important fact that television and radio have a widespread reach. They are ubiquitous and are very easily accessible by the public. The programs that are broadcasted via this public medium should be regulated for offensive language and behavior as any unsavory comments on a sensitive topic by someone with ulterior motives can have a disastrous effect.

Another reason which is closely tied to the one mentioned above is the effect that television and radio programs can have on children. Television and radios are found in almost every household and indirectly are a part of a child’s learning process. This again constitutes a very strong reason for television and radio content to be regulated by an authority so as to ensure that the child’s psyche is not negatively affected by any unsavory content.

Although some people might argue that censorship leads to curbing freedom of speech and expression, without any censorship in place, it would be very easy for any party or group to use the public medium of television and radio to propagate their own propaganda which would very easily lead to misuse of such a medium of expression.

In summary, while there are arguments that can be given from both sides, it is clear that there are advantages to have regulations in place for television and radio programs and these certainly outweigh any other reasons that may be given by the opponents of this notion.

[StaceyKoprince]

Hi, thanks for posting your essays! Just an FYI that instructors don't grade or give feedback on essays (see the forum guidelines for details).

But I certainly hope other community members respond. Also, if you're in our class, you'll have an opportunity to get essays graded and get written feedback during the course (after class 6). Finally, you can get essays graded by GMAT Write (the official essay grading service from the makers of the exam) - they'll both grade the essays and provide feedback as to how to improve (for a fee). For details and pricing, go to www.mba.com and search for GMAT Write.